I've owned an XW-P1 for almost 8 months now and I have to say I'm nowhere near mastering it.

Personally I wish they'd rewrite the manual to be more user friendly and use a larger font. The typeface they used is microscopic to my tired old eyes and even after printing the PDF version on full sized 8.5x11 pages I still have to strain and use a magnifier to read some of the tables and charts.

Still it's an amazing piece of hardware that still delights me everytime I turn it on. Enjoy yours in good health and if you have any technical questions to ask this is the right place to ask.

Yes, I wish Mike (or someone else at Casio) could do some more in depth video tutorials. (Like Mike's two sequencer vids)
How about the promised: 'How to use Phrases in the Sequencer'?

Apart from the font being too small , the manual doesn't go into any detail of how to do things. It just shows a parameter table with a very short description for them.
I understand how most of the things work but there must be hidden tricks and things that we can only discover by accident.

I've had a situation where the active keyboard range is set to maximum (C- to G9) in 'Performance' but the left side of the keyboard is inactive. (I think its to do with octave shift on the instrument but I just reset it instead)

Yeah, like I said, the manual could stand to be a lot more user friendly. Then again I guess it's an opportunity for a third party to write and release a Tips n Tricks type of book if the keyboard sticks around a few years and gains in popularity.

Still, synth documentation has always been a sore spot with me. These things read like they're translated from Chinese, to Urdu, to Swahili and THEN into English.

And it would be nice if the data editor software came with a manual as well. Hell, even a few popup help balloons would remove a lot of the guesswork.

I'm with you guys. In regard to the small print in the manuals, try downloading the online manual and bringing it up in Adobe Reader so you can zoom in. I know, that is really inconvenient when you are trying to set at the keyboard, but until they come out with the large print version for our tired old eyes, it's better than nothin'. The manuals for both the G1 and P1 are available for download from the Casio site.

I also wish Mike could do some more videos, but he is supporting not only the XW's, but the new CTK/WK line as well. He has done a couple of videos for them too. I don't think the rationale of support for the more expensive line first applies here, as all of these lines are withing a hundred or so dollars of one another. As a matter of fact, with the deal I got on my P1, I paid less for it than I did for my WK-7500. Yamaha has fairly good support for their Motif synths, but doesn't do anything for their arranger lines. At least Mike is trying to support both. Buy a new top of the line Jupiter 50 or 80 from Roland and, other than the manual, you get zip for help, but that has been typical of Roland for years.

Anyway, I have been trolling youtube for the past several days, downloading every halfway decent video I can find on either the P1 or the CTK/WK's, in ANY language. I don't need to understand what the guy is saying, I just need to see and hear what he is doing, just so I can get some ideas what all these things are capable of, but then I go to the manual to see how he did that, and I still come away wanting. Maybe the challenge is half the fun ? ? ?

Ed >>> Thanks muchly for the link to the Data Editor Manual. Why Casio buried it in the middle of Editor download page and not on the manuals page remains a mystery to me. Good catch! You're a lifesaver!

Ted >>> Actually one thing that helps is to print out the XW-P1 manual on an 8.5" by 11" page with adobe set to "fit to page" in the print settings. It almost becomes easily readable at that point.

On the other hand, why Casio decided to save a nickel per unit printing the shipped manual on 8" by 10" stock remains yet another mystery to me.

I think the first and best function of this board would be for users to share information and discoveries about this synth. I agree with what's been said above, it's like an arcane science to deep program some synths. Especially if you're like me and just getting your feet wet in programming and MIDI.

Likewise I agree that Mike Martin or SOMEBODY should create a full set of tutorial videos for the XW series. The existing ones are great, but they gloss over a lot of features and details that should have been explored in greater depth.

As has been said, the manual is more of a technical reference than a real user manual that explains in step by step form how to set up and do exactly what you are trying to do.

Frankly even if Casio commissioned someone to write a Tips and Tricks book with all the gaps filled in, I'd gladly pay $25 for such a reference.

I had the same problems with my Korg TR a few years ago. The manuals were written in technical spec format with no simple how tos on any of the nitty gritty of getting decent sounds out of the instrument, how to program sounds and how to use the onboard sequencers and sampler properly.

Two years later I discovered a Video Tutorial DVD on sale on Ebay that clarified most of the mysteries in under 2 hours.

Even if Casio commissioned a simple Tutorial DVD it would go a long way toward making sense out of that cryptic, eye-straining, dry-as-dust manual.

The video series makes good business sense to me. With the XW series having great appeal to the lower end of the market, I think that many buyers will be fairly new to synths. I fit into that group (being a guitarist first) and it is frustrating to try to figure out new instruments using only the manual, particularly when they are as feature-packed as the XWs are. I depend on the internet for tips on my older synths. With the XW, there just isn't a large body of information available, even though the synth has been out for nearly a year. A video series expanding on the work that Mike has already published would flatten the learning curve and encourage more musicians to keep and use their XWs. As Gary mentioned, many of us would pay for a book or video series on the instrument.

Hi Everyone,
I'm based in Adelaide, South Australia and have just Purchased a P1 after many years without a board. I was all set to buy a wk7500 and then saw the you tube videos of the P1 and just had to have one. Although i have a history of playing keyboards this is my first venture into the Synth world and am finding it a little daunting to get my head around. I feel the manual is probably a good reference guide but is not really clear for a newbie to fully understand the set-up. If anyone can point me in the right direction for a simple overview to help me get the best out of this equipment i would welcome it.

Welcome to the forum Glenn. Most of the links, videos and information you're asking for is right here in this thread. If you have other specific questions use the search tools here and if you can't find an answer just create a new topic.

Ed, welcome to the P-1 owners club! The best way I know of to learn any synth is to just keep bressing buttons and trying things- THEN read the manual and focus on what you didn't learn. I agree the manual is not the best and is written as a collection of engineering specs almost. The synth is very complex and to hold down the printing they opted to give the most info in the least space- which leads to the diagram like way it all looks. Kurzweil still makes the best manuals- they even give you suggestions on how to use the features to create cool stuff. But it could be worse, much worse!!! Try figuring out the Korg N5ex with the manual- but get an audio engineering degree first (good luck creating performances!)

I think that coming up with a list of tips/tricks is a good purpose for the users in this forum. Yes, we can wait for Mike to create videos but I personally like reading easy steps- its faster. I don't know if there is a moderator, but it would be great to have a "how to" sticky. It would also be great to have a way to share patches (this is a cool feature of Kurzweil's Mastering Vast forum). i've got so many toys i am learning (Fantom X, JX-305, Cubase, microsampler, Komplete) I have only a limited time to post tips but when summer vacation hits (I am a teacher) I will be freed up. We need to take ownership of this site- it will only be as good as we are. The P-1 is a great instrument and deserves a good set of threads that helps new users get the most out of it.

Hi all!
I've been reading all the posts here and just had to join in. I too in the last couple of months have purchased both the CTK 7000 and XW-P1. I think both of these keyboards are great. I'm also new to all of this I've been away from music for a longtime (more than 20yrs) and recently decided its time come back to it. I first seen the CTK 7000 and had to have it, then I saw the XW-P1, well I couldn't pass that up.

I do agree that the manuel is confuseing to a nubie. I downloaded all the videos and have read everything I could find, but still confused.
I guess in time I will learn.

Just wanted to say Thanks to ALL the people on this board for all the great posts.
You've made things alittle easier for an old guy!

Well, the SoloSynth is not very beginner friendly, especially for people like me, who never created tones with a synthesizer. However, the PC software editor gives you a bit more overlook.But the HexLayer is much more easy to use, you just need to experiment with different layer combinations. Even if you layer the same tone six times, with a little fine tuning and global detuning, you can get some nice (and sometimes unexpected) sounds. And it is polyphonic .